Tears of the Prophets (episode)
Sisko leads an invasion of Cardassian territory, ignoring a warning from the Prophets, with fatal consequences for a member of the DS9 crew. Summary On Deep Space 9, the Bajorans are celebrating the Gratitude Festival. Kira Nerys approaches Benjamin Sisko and thanks the Emissary for holding the festival on Deep Space 9, despite the fact the Dominion War is raging. On a more military side, Captain Sisko is awarded the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor in recognition of his remarkable leadership and meritorious conduct against the enemy, and in particular for acts of personal bravery displayed during the battle to retake Deep Space 9. The ceremony is followed by a briefing by Admiral Ross. Starfleet has decided to go on an offensive war and they have chosen Captain Sisko to plan the invasion of Cardassia. Sisko then invites Miles O'Brien, Elim Garak and Worf to join him, Ross and General Martok in planning a first move against the Dominion. They finally settle for the Chin'toka system as it seems to be the weakest spot on the Dominion defense line. It seems that the only difficult part will be to convince the Romulans to agree to the attack plan. At about the same time, Quark, Julian Bashir and Odo are all despairing at Quark's. Odo had his first argument with Kira and the poor Constable is sure it is the end of their relation. Quark and Bashir, on the other hand, had just seen all their remaining hopes to Dax's heart vanish when they learn that Worf and Dax were thinking about having children, confirming the marriage for good. The two decide to go in a holosuite to seek counsel from the wise Vic Fontaine. On Cardassia, Weyoun and Damar discuss the weak defense of the Chin'toka system. While Weyoun is worried, Damar is confident due to the construction of orbital weapon platform, which as well as being fully automated, also have highly effective weapons and defenses. However the discussion is interrupted when Gul Dukat arrives in Cardassian Central Command requesting a Bajoran artifact that was stolen during the Occupation, as well as swearing vengenance on Captain Sisko. A little after, Benjamin Sisko is having dinner with his son and since the Captain "did not overcook the rice", Jake understood that something big is preparing, and asks his father if he can come along. After the Captain realizes he won't be able to keep his son away from the action, he suggests Jake to start packing. As soon as Jake leaves, the Prophets contact Sisko to advise against the Emissary leaving the station. On Cardassia, Dukat gets the artifact, and tells Weyoun and Damar that the way is destroy the Bajorans is to take away their gods. He then recites an incantation and breaks the artifact, releasing a Pah-wraith that possesses the Cardassian. On the station, Captain Sisko has received information regarding the Orbital Weapon Platforms and decides the attack will happen the next day. After a briefing, Sisko tells Admiral Ross about the vision warning him not to go on the mission, to which Ross gives the Captain short shrift and reminds him that Starfleet are unhappy with a Starfleet Captain being a religious icon and tells him to choose between the two. Captain Sisko decides his loyalties lie with Starfleet and agrees to lead the invasion. The next morning, the Senior Officers (as well as Garak and Jake) leave and Captain Sisko leaves Dax in charge of the station. Dax and Worf, after discussing the difficulties they could face in having children, share a loving embrace. The combined fleet arrive at Chin'toka, and the Jem'Hadar inflict heavy losses on the Klingons with suicide runs on their ships. Despite this, Martok orders the fleet to fire on the weapon platforms. However only a few are taken out before they become active. Garak discovers that none of the platforms has a power generator, meaning they must all have a central source. Captain Sisko orders it found. Aboard DS9, Doctor Bashir informs Dax that his efforts to enable Dax and Worf to have children has worked better than expected, and Dax should have no problems getting pregnant. Dax decides to go to the Bajoran Shrine, as Kira earlier asked the Prophets to help Dax and Worf have children. She goes and kneels before the Orb of Contemplation and as she realises that her belief that the Prophets are nothing more than wormhole aliens is being questioned, Dukat suddenly beams aboard the station. As Dax reaches for her phaser, Dukat suddenly picks her up with fiery energy and then drops her lifeless body on the ground. He then effortlessly reaches through the forcefield and opens the Orb casing, upon which the Pah'wraith leaves his body into the Orb, causing it to turn black. Outside the station, the wormhole opens and then seals itself. On the Defiant, Captain Sisko feels that something is very wrong, and Jake is forced to help his father to his quarters. The power source is found on a nearby asteroid, but it is well protected by powerful shields. Chief O'Brien causes the Weapon Platforms to fire on the source by printing a fake Federation warp signature on the asteroid. With the platforms powerless, the Alliance is able to take the system, but the joy quickly evaporates when the Defiant receives a message from DS9... On Cardassia, Weyoun is furious that not only has the Chin'toka system been overrun, but also the wormhole has vanished along with any hope of bringing reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant. Dukat reminds them that both Sisko and the Bajorans have lost contact with the Prophets, and assures Damar that this will help the Dominion. Aboard DS9, Sisko is asked by a little girl to get the Prophets back. With many Bajorans watching, Sisko promises to try. Heading into the Infirmary, Bashir informs everyone that while the Dax symbiont could be saved and must be immediately returned to Trill, there was nothing he could do for Jadzia. As Sisko watches on, Worf and Jadzia share their final words, and Dax regrets that the two will now never have children. Jadzia dies, and as Worf howls to let the spirits know that Jadzia is on her way to Sto-vo-kor, a devastated Captain Sisko can do nothing but watch. Later, Captain Sisko speaks to Jadzia as she lies in her coffin. He tells her how good a friend she has been to him, and is then upset as he tells her the full extent of the decision he made earlier. He has relised he should have listened to the Prophets and not gone on the mission, but instead he went and now it seems the Prophets have abandoned the Bajorans. He knows he has to get his head together and work out how to contact the Prophets, but he also knows he needs to get away from the station. Captain Sisko applies for and is granted a leave of absence. When asked by Doctor Bashir when he plans to return, he replies that he doesn't know. He thanks all of his friends for everything, and he and Jake leave the station. Entering Sisko's office, Kira notices that the Captain has taken his cherised baseball with him. In other words, he doesn't know if he'll ever return to the station... On Earth, Sisko scrubs clams at his father's resturant, deep in thought about the future... Memorable Quotes "By this time next year, the three of us will drink bloodwine in the halls of Cardassia's Central Command" :- Martok "Klingons can be quite entertaining, can`t they? Every Romulan zoo should have a pair!" : - Senator Letant "This is a disaster! Federation soldiers have landed on Cardassian soil, and now you're tell me the wormhole is gone? And with it any chance of getting reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant!" "I'm well aware things didn't turn out quite the way I planned, but I assure you we still achieved a great victory." :- Weyoun, Dukat "I know this is small comfort, but I never intended you any harm." :- Dukat "Pah-Wraiths and Prophets? All this talk of gods strikes me as nothing more than superstitious nonsense." "You believe that the Founders are gods, don't you?" "That's different." "In what way?" "The Founders are gods." :- Weyoun, Damar "I was afraid of that... he's not sure he's coming back." "What makes you say that?" "His baseball, he took it with him." :- Kira, Odo "I've found it. Behold, the key to victory. Oh, I see you remain skeptical. Well, you won't be for long. Over the past few months I've immersed myself in the study of the Bajoran ancient texts, and I've come to realize that the wormhole is much more than the gateway to the Gamma Quadrant. It's the temple of the Prophets. It's from there that they smile benevolently down on Bajor. It's from there that they protect that world and its people. The sad truth is we wasted our time fighting the Bajorans when we should've been fighting their gods." "How do you fight a god?" "I'll show you. You see, we have an ally we never knew we had. You may want to step back." :- Dukat, Damar Background Information * This is the 150th episode of DS9. * This episode marks the death of Jadzia Dax, and thus the departure of Terry Farrell from the series. * This episode featured the First Battle of Chin'toka. * The scripting of this episode as well as discussions by senior writing staff pertaining to the death of Jadzia Dax are chronicled and partially reproduced in Star Trek: Action!, released by Pocket Books. * A scene deleted from the episode saw Sisko, Worf, Garak and O'Brien selecting a Cardassian target to attack. * Michelle Horn (Saghi) later appears again in "Penumbra". * This featured the last appearance of the second TNG uniforms (first seen in "Evolution") in the form of two command division officers present during the briefing room scene. William Riker and Deanna Troi would later appear in such uniforms in "These Are the Voyages..." (ENT). Links and References Regular Cast * Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko * Rene Auberjonois as Odo * Michael Dorn as Worf * Terry Farrell as Jadzia Dax * Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko * Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien * Armin Shimerman as Quark * Alexander Siddig as Julian Bashir * Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys Guest Stars *Andrew Robinson as Garak *Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun *Marc Alaimo as Dukat *David Birney as Letant *J.G. Hertzler as Martok *Aron Eisenberg as Nog *Casey Biggs as Damar *Barry Jenner as William Ross *James Darren as Vic Fontaine *Michelle Horn as Saghi *Bob Kirsh as the Glinn References Akleen, Tret; Bajor; Bajoran Gratitude Festival; Bajoran shrine; Bajoran wormhole; baseball; bloodwine; booster modulator; Cardassia Prime; Cardassian Central Command; Cardassian Empire; Chin'toka system; Christopher Pike Medal of Valor; clam; cruiser; Dax, Curzon; deflector array; destroyer; Dominion Headquarters; Dominion War; evasive maneuvers; Federation Alliance; First Battle of Chin'toka; Founders; god; "Here's to the Losers"; ''Honshu'' shuttlecraft; induction stabilizer; Infirmary (Deep Space 9); Irish whiskey;jambalaya; Klingons; Klingon Empire; Klingon death ritual; moon; New Orleans; O'Brien, Keiko; Occupation of Bajor; Operation Return; Orb; Orb of Contemplation; orbital weapon platforms; Pah-wraiths; peldor joi; plasma torpedo; propaganda; Prophets; regenerative forcefield; rice; Romulans; Romulan Senate; Romulan Star Empire; Sisko, Joseph; "Sisko's"; Solis; squadron; subspace power generator; Torg'Q system; Trills; vedek; Ventani system; Ventani II; warp signature; Ziyal, Tora; zoo Starship References ''Akira''-class; ''D'deridex''-class; ''Defiant''-class; ''Defiant'', USS; ''Excelsior''-class; ''Galaxy''-class; ''Galaxy'', USS; ''Hood'', USS; Jem'Hadar fighters; Klingon Bird-of-Preys; ''Miranda''-class; ''Nautilus'', USS; ''Rotarran'', IKS; ''Saber''-class; ''ShirKahr'', USS; ''Tian An Men'', USS; ''Valley Forge'', USS; ''Venture'', USS; ''Vor'cha''-class. Category:DS9 episodes de:Tränen der Propheten (Episode) nl:Tears of the Prophets (aflevering)